Look out for the Angels
by GreyTardis
Summary: The Doctor and Clara go to Valentine's Day 1918 and meet Sybil and Edith Crawley. Romance and Adventure guaranteed as the Doctor is reunited with some of his biggest enemies! Written for the EAST-alliance and the 50th anniv. Rated T to be safe. I hope you'll enjoy the story! (I'm rubbish at summaries).


**A/N: Because I wanted to do at least two fanfics (one for the EAST-Alliance and one because of the 50th anniversary), I decided to fuse the two into a Downton Abbey/Doctor Who crossover. ****Hope you enjoy, and as the 50th is a bit further away, I might write another Doctor Who fic for that too. (If you're not yet informed about the EAST-Alliance, search the tag on Tumblr) ****It's un-beta'ed, as ever.**

**Pairings: Sybil/Tom, Edith/Anthony, Mary/Matthew, and maybe a slight bit 11/Clara.**

* * *

_Look out for the Angels_

Clara sat on the stairs, impatiently waiting for that stupid TARDIS-noise. It would seem just an ordinary Wednesday, but today the Doctor and Clara were going on their first adventure since Trenzalore. Everything had been a bit tense, especially when the Doctor had returned Clara to the Maitland's home. He saved her from his timeline, but by the time they'd come back to 2013 Clara had been so drained she had fallen asleep. The Doctor hadn't dared waking her and instead scooped her up in his arms, carrying her back to the house. _Carrying._ It was, of course, a very kind action, but it had made things look worse than they actually were.  
Clara sighed as she remembered trying to explain everything to Angie and Artie, and thanked the stars Mr. Maitland hadn't been home.

She checked her watch; he'd normally be here by now. Then, at the exact moment she looked away from her wrist, the materialising sound of the TARDIS could be heard. Clara smiled and stood up. She wiped the imaginary dust from her dress and waited for him to ring. Through the glass in the door, she could see him straightening his bow-tie one last time and then the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Clara shouted to no one in particular, and of course Angie and Artie wouldn't bother, already knowing who it was.  
Clara swung open the door and was instantly met with the somewhat awkward-smiling Doctor.  
Clara didn't wait for him to greet her and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

"So," she said with lights in her eyes, "where are we going?" The Doctor eased considerably, seeing that his companion had jumped back into their old pattern.

"Downton, Yorkshire!" He said, a small grin forming on his features. Clara raised an eyebrow.

"We've already been to Yorkshire, haven't we?" she said.

"Well, yes, but not to _Downton,_ Yorkshire." the Doctor remarked as they started to walk to the TARDIS. "A small town with a big house that could store all the inhabitants; but of course only one family lives there now." With the flick of his fingers, the Doctor opened the TARDIS. They entered and Clara leaned back against the railing, leaving the Doctor to enter the coordinates.

"And with 'now', you mean... What time exactly?" Clara asked.

"February 1918- the end of the war is just a few months away, and it's Valentines Day!" The Doctor smiled enthusiastically and Clara half-suspected him that bringing her to Valentines Day was somehow meant to make it up to her.

"So, is there any particular reason we're going to Yorkshire during the Great War?" she asked.

"I don't need a reason!" the Doctor huffed. "But I've always had a thing for the pre-roaring twenties. People are starting to change in their ways, ways that no one ever thought would change. But they did. That's what I love about this era. It's like the puberty of the world." He smiled. "And the big house's magnificent, too. Although it has been turned into a convalescence -home for wounded soldiers, we'll still see it in its prime." Clara couldn't help but to smile to at his adorableness and jumped off the railing. But the 'puberty of the world'? She figured it would wait until the twenties.  
"Ready to go?" the Doctor asked as Clara stood beside him. She nodded and grabbed the control-panel tightly.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said with a wide grin. The Doctor flashed an equally big one and pulled the lever.

* * *

Sybil was alone, walking on the grounds that lay around the Abbey. Because of the cold, there weren't many soldiers outside and Sybil was glad for it. Despite the things people said about the end of the war, there were still a lot of soldiers arriving. It was busy in and about the house, so Sybil was really glad she could spend her free hours in peace and quiet. She approached the Greek temple and saw her sister sitting on the top stair, leaning back against a pillar. Edith seemed completely lost in thought.

"You shouldn't sit still too much," Sybil said as she sat down next to her sister. "You could get a cold." Edith didn't look at Sybil, but the younger sister knew that the confusion around the Canadian soldier was still bothering her. Sybil sighed.  
"Why don't we walk?" she said, as one last offer.

Edith closed her eyes for a bit, maybe to prepare her for the questions that obviously were going to follow, and finally moved to stand up.  
"Alright then," she said, looking as if she cared about very little things anymore, but it was enough to make Sybil happy. She linked arms with her sister and together they walked towards the woods.

"How are you doing?" Sybil carefully enquired.

"Oh, alright, I guess. I'm quite fine if you look at all those wounded men..." Edith shook her head.

"That was not what I meant." Sybil continued. She knew she had to take Edith's mind off things for a bit.

"So what do you mean?" Edith asked, now looking directly at her younger sister, while trying not to sound too harsh. Sybil averted her gaze as she searched for the right words.

"Did you know, Edith? It's almost St-Valentines Day." Sybil smiled, deciding to drop the previous subject. "Surely you're going to write to Sir Anthony?" A spark appeared in Edith's eyes at the mention of that name.

"I was going to." Edith answered quietly. "Though there were some soldiers who made it clear they were expecting to be asked, too." Sybil sighed.

"Don't bother, Edith," she said. "I hardly think Mama would approve of a wounded soldier at the dance." She looked at her sister.

"But Sir Anthony-"

"His arm isn't _that_ bad," Sybil assured her sister, "Besides, if you would invite a soldier, Mama would think it an attempt for not having to dance and write him anyway." Edith scoffed, remembering the ball of last year. She had been determined on continuing to care for the soldiers and hadn't wanted to participate. What was the use of having fun while there were men out there, risking their lives?

Edith sighed. "You should write to him, though, Edith." Sybil continued to push her sister. "You'll both enjoy it."

"Maybe we will." Edith replied. Then she turned her full attention on her younger sister. "Who are you going to ask anyway, Sybil?" Sybil rolled her eyes wearily.

"Apparently, Larry Grey. Mama has set it all up. But I think I might be able to leave early, if I can switch shifts with the other nurses." Sybil said, shrugging it off like it was nothing to escape the dance her mother was going so much trouble through preparing.

Edith chuckled at the defiance of her little sister, the one true rebel in the family. While they had been talking, they had entered the woods. The trees hadn't grown leaves yet as it was only February, so it wasn't much darker than when out in the clear. Both that and the countless amounts they had played there as children, made the Crawley Sisters find their way through the forest pretty easily.

They had been walking in confidentially silence for a couple of minutes, both deep in their own thoughts, when a strange whirring noise pulled Sybil out of her reverie.

"Do you hear that?" Sybil said as she stopped walking. Edith turned to look at her sister.

"Hear what?"

Sybil squinted, trying to find the words for a fitting explanation. "It was some sort of... buzzing, but it also sounded like a machine." The large number of hours Sybil had spent in the garage with a certain chauffeur had taught her the sounds of a properly working machine. But this sounded somewhat off. A bit... strained. Sybil took her sister's hand and started walking towards the sound.

As it grew gradually louder, Edith's eyebrows rose. "What is it?" she said, as she could hear it now, too.

"I don't know." her sister answered. "It might be some sort of machine, but we're in the middle of a forest." It couldn't be a machine, surely? They closed in on the sound, but when they were almost there, it stopped. Sybil continued pulling her sister's arm, though, and behind a group of trees, they found a box. It was blue with a bulb on top, and the letters said "Police Public Call Box." Smoke whirled around the bottom, and after patting Edith's arm in order for her to calm down, Sybil swallowed and stepped forward, softly knocking on the blue wood.

* * *

Clara looked up at a knocking-sound. She was sitting on the ground, with one arm still clutching the control-panel while the other was massaging her head. During their more than usually bumpy ride, she must've hit it against something.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" she asked, looking at the Time Lord who was walking around the control-room, throwing stuff out of the way where he went.

"Yes, yes. But first I have to search my psychic paper! It must've fallen out of my pocket at one point." he mumbled.

"Doesn't surprise me," Clara commented. "The Snogbox was shaking more than usual. Is everything alright?"

"Clara, I told you to stop calling her that!" the Doctor pouted, making him look every bit the five-year old. "I don't know what it is. Maybe you're making her nervous." Clara rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. We have landed in the right time, though?" she asked.

The Doctor ran back to the panel and pulled the scanner to him. "Yes. 1918, definitely. Just a few days early."

"Great." Clara said as she stood up. "I'll get changed, and you can see who's outside, alright?" The Doctor nodded weakly, giving up the search of the psychic paper and strolling to the doors. A small smile appeared on Clara's face as she turned around and walked toward where she thought was the wardrobe, because it was likely the Snogbox had shifted rooms again.

The Doctor's mind was preparing itself for a million kinds of questions that their visitor could ask as he made his way to the door. Now that he had misplaced the psychic paper, coming up with an excuse was going to prove to be a lot harder. He threw one last glance back over his shoulder to see Clara disappear and then turned back to open the door.

He didn't know what or who he'd expected, but not these two young ladies. They most probably were Ladies, or at least one of them, judging from the style of clothes. The other wore a nurse uniform. The Doctor had taken all this in in maybe a couple of seconds, but then his gaze landed on the expectant face of the girl with the dark hair. Apparently, they expected him to say something first.

"Hello," he said, not really knowing exactly what he would say when they would start asking questions.

"Hello," the dark-haired girl answered for both of them. A short silence fell before the girl spoke up again. "I'm sorry," she said, "I can't help but wonder. What is this?" She carefully laid her hand on the wood. "There's smoke coming off, but it isn't on fire..." She locked her blue eyes with his and asked her question again. "What is it?"

The Doctor nervously tugged his collar. "It's, err, made of a special material." he said, after all, it was the truth.

"So it is some kind of machine, then?" the dark-haired girl remarked. _Sharp,_ the Doctor thought to himself.

"Actually, it is." He decided to drop the lies, since people in this era were unlikely to believe it anyway.

"But what is it for?" the red-headed girl spoke up.

"Good question," the Doctor said as a composed smile appeared on his face. "But I don't think I can tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because you wouldn't believe me if I did." The Doctor looked at their faces. The red-head seemed composed, not knowing what to think, but maybe a little bit nervous, too. After all, he was a mad man in a box. The dark-haired girl was different. There was no sign of uncertainty on her features, just interest and excitement at the thought of something new and unexplored.

"Try me." she said daring, while the other girl gasped in horror for the rudeness in that tone.

"Sybil!"

So that was her name. The Doctor's grin grew wider. "Well, since clearly you want to know that bad, I will. But everything I am about to tell you is as unlikely as it is true, so you must promise me not to interrupt until I am done."

"I promise." the girl said, a glimmer of excitement visible in her eyes.

"Well then, Sybil," the Doctor said, grinning. "Let's begin. You were right about a few things; this is indeed a machine, and it isn't made of wood. The appearance is simply formed by the chameleon-circuit, although it has been stuck on this for a few centuries." Sybil's eyes grew wider at the mention of 'centuries', but she kept quiet. The Doctor continued. "I use her for transportation." He saw the question in their eyes. "It isn't like anything either of you have ever seen, I'm afraid. It's not like a car or airplane. It doesn't need to move before arriving. Well, of course it moves, but it's more like appearing. It materialises. And the smoke is exhaust fumes, but it's nothing bad." He smiled. When neither of the ladies spoke up, he nervously fixed his bow-tie.  
"I- I hope this isn't all too confusing for you, but... You have to see it as- as a miracle. Miracle and science."

Sybil released the breath of which she didn't know she had been holding. "This certainly is... Astonishing." she managed to say. A small smile appeared on the Doctor's face.

At that moment, the doors of the TARDIS opened and Clara stepped out. She wore a simple gown and her hair was pulled up into a bun. "Eh, hello," she said to their unexpected visitors. "I'm Clara, nice to meet you."

"Clara, this is Sybil and..." the Doctor said, realising he didn't know the other girl's name yet.

''Edith.'' the girl answered.

Greetings were in order, and after the Doctor locked the TARDIS they started walking. Well, actually the Doctor and Clara were only following the girls, since they hadn't really an idea where they were.

* * *

Sybil wondered who these people were. They travelled with a strange box, but what were they doing here? When they neared the end of the forest, Sybil decided to just ask. She stopped in front of their group, not allowing them to pass.

''I still have some questions.'' she said. The Doctor smiled.

''I expected no less.''

''Why are you here?'' Sybil saw Clara looking at the Doctor from the corner of her eye, but didn't avert her gaze from the Doctor's. He cleared his throat before he spoke.

''Well, eh, it's almost Valentine's Day, so-''

''You've come for the dance?'' Edith asked. The Doctor did a quick job masking his surprise, but Sybil had seen it.

''Yes! The dance. We've come for the dance!'' he said hastily and Clara chuckled.

''You're a bit early then,'' Edith carried on, ''the dance isn't in two days. Normally I would offer you a room at the house, but I'm afraid we're a bit occupied at the time.''

''Ah, yes, the convalescence-home. I heard about that.''

''There is an inn in the village where you can stay.'' Sybil replied. Then she thought of something she had completely forgotten about. ''Doctor, do you have the time?'' she asked. The Doctor lifted his arm to look at the clock around his wrist.

''It's five past eleven.'' he answered, but Sybil gasped. ''Why, what's wrong?'' Sybil started to walk back to the house at a fast pace.

''My shift started at eleven!'' she shouted back at her sister and their guests. Edith chuckled softly.

''Sybil's a nurse.'' she explained.

''Yeah, I figured by her uniform.'' Clara remarked. They started walking towards the house again.

''I should get back as well,'' Edith said, ''I still have some work to do concerning the amounts of food that have to be purchased. I wish I could show you where to go, but you'll have to excuse me. Branson, our chauffeur, could show you the way to the inn. I think he's in the garage.''

''Thank you, Lady Edith.'' the Doctor answered politely. And with that, Edith also took off. The Doctor offered Clara his arm, remembering Yorkshire, and Clara gladly took it. In companionably silence they walked towards the garage.

* * *

**A/N 2: That was the first part! I know I won't be able to finish this fic before the 4th of August because I'm going on a holiday tomorrow, but I will finish this fic! Pinkie-promise ;)**


End file.
